IFAJ 2014 Post Congress Tour itinerary
IFAJ 2014
Monday 8 September 15.40 Depart ABZ 17.15 Arrive BHX, depart by coach for Shakespeare Hotel, Stratford upon Avon 18.30 Arrive Shakespeare Hotel for dinner, overnight accommodation, breakfast 19.25 Depart for Mayor’s reception, Stratford Town Hall 19.30 Arrive Mayor's reception 20.30 Depart for Shakespeare Hotel 20.45 Arrive dinner, Shakespeare Hotel ballroom
Wednesday 10 September 07.15 Depart Ludlow Travel Lodge for breakfast at Ludlow Food Centre 07.30 – 07.55 Breakfast 08.00 Depart on foot for Earl of Plymouth Estate hydro project 08.30 Depart on foot for Ludlow Food Centre Farm Shop, meet with artisan producers 09.10 Depart Ludlow for Wales Meet on coach with NFU Cymru’s John Davies 11.15 Arrive Pumlumon, Glaslyn Reserve, Cambrian Mountains 13.15 Depart for Y Ddol Farm, Llanbadarn Fynydd, Llandrindod Wells; packed lunch on coach Meet on coach with Farmers Union of Wales’ Emyr Jones 14.30 Arrive Y Ddol Farm 17.00 Depart for Welshpool 18.00 Arrive The Royal Oak, Welshpool for dinner, overnight accommodation, breakfast 19.00 Pre dinner drinks 19.30 WelshFest Thursday 11 September 07.30 – 08.15 Breakfast 08.45 Depart Welshpool 11.00 Arrive Mary Arden's Farm, Stratford upon Avon 12.30 Lunch 13.30 Depart for Stratford 13.45 Arrive Shakespeare Hotel, Stratford for overnight accommodation 14.15 Visit Shakespeare Birthplace. Optional visit to New House, Nash's House, Hall's Croft 16.30 Arrive Royal Shakespeare Theatre for tour 17.45 Dinner in Royal Shakespeare Theatre Rooftop Restaurant 19.30 RSC Theatre, The Roaring Girl or evening at leisure Friday 12 September 07.30 Depart Shakespeare Hotel for breakfast at Stoneleigh Park, Kenilworth 08.00 Arrive Stoneleigh Park 08.30 NFU president, Meurig Raymond address plus forum discussion 09.00 NFU sharing communications 09.30 AHDB chairman, Peter Kendall address followed by presentations 10.50 Depart on foot for GEA UK HQ 10.55 Arrive at GEA 12.00 Depart Stoneleigh Park for BHX 13.00 Arrive BHX
in England and Wales Hugh Evans
Tuesday 9 September 06.30 – 08.00 Breakfast 08.15 Depart for Cotswold Farm Park, Guiting Power, Cheltenham 09.00 Arrive Cotswold Farm Park 11.15 Depart for lunch at The Tunnel, Coates, Cirencester Meet on coach with Cotswolds Conservation Board’s Nicola Greaves Meet with OMSCo’s Lyndon Edwards 12.00 Arrive The Tunnel, meet with Ayrshire Cattle Society’s Robert Adams 13.10 Depart for Duchy Home Farm, Tetbury 13.30 Arrive Duchy Home Farm 16.30 Depart for Ludlow 19.00 Arrive The Clive, Ludlow drinks and meet with the Earl of Plymouth Estate team 20.00 Dinner 22.00 Depart for Ludlow Travelodge overnight accommodation
POST CONGRESS TOUR
Contents 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
Tour map Forward. HRH Prince of Wales The Post Congress team Welcome The total countryside experience. Cotswold Farm Park Pioneering organic systems and agro-forestry: HRH The Prince of Wales’ Duchy Home Farm Showcasing local. The Earl of Plymouth Estate Exploiting natural resources. The Earl of Plymouth Estate Rebuilding natural capital. The Pumlumon Project Sustainable intensification. Y Ddol, Llanbadarn Fynydd, Llandrindod Wells, Powys The Shakespeare experience. Stratford upon Avon Mary Arden’s Farm. Stratford upon Avon The way forward. Meeting with industry influencers Sponsors and supporters Welsh facts and figures Welcome to Wales English counties facts and figures IFAJ 2014 Post Congress delegates
IFAJ 2104 Post Congress Tour Central England and Wales 2 IFAJ Post Congress Tour Guide
The Post Congress team Welcome
Chairman, Liz Snaith Liz manages her own specialist agribusiness PR and communications consultancy with a particular focus on the livestock sector. A former agricultural journalist with Farmers Guardian, she works in close partnership with UK and international companies, organisations and individuals on targeted, creative campaigns and programmes designed to ultimately improve farmers’ efficiency and sustainability. Among her clients is Livestock Event which she has helped to develop as the UK sector’s largest business to business event staged annually at The NEC, Birmingham. Liz Snaith: +44 7974 678833
Vice chairman, Nick Bond A former BGAJ chairman, Nick has had a varied career in rural communications including managing press departments, working as an agriculture and horticulture freelance writer, editing guides for college students and press consultant to the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institute (RABI), a national charity providing support for members of the farming community. Nick helped to organise IFAJ Congress 1997 in Britain and, together with his wife Annabelle, has taken part in many IFAJ Congresses including Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland and Japan. Nick Bond: +44 7748 927424
BGAJ Midlands branch members
We offer a very warm welcome to you, our IFAJ2014 Post Congress delegates. We have organised a tour which is designed to continue the theme Innovations from a Small Island showcasing the rich diversity of our farming practices in both central England and Wales and in particular demonstrating just how cutting edge our sector is. We are also pleased to introduce you to some of our history and unique culture which has helped to define our landscapes down the ages, together with examples of local food and drink of which we are justly proud. On our journey you will be meeting inspiring groups and individuals, all of whom have one thing in common, they are focused on addressing one of our most pressing challenges - delivering a sustainable sector that meets today’s demands without compromising the ability of future generations to do likewise. Those demands extend beyond producing quality food at an affordable price, along with fuel and fibre, to maintaining ecosystems services – soil, water and a rich biodiversity. Not forgetting, farmers should, in return, be justly rewarded for their efforts; that means a fair price leaving sufficient for reinvestment purposes.
These challenges are not peculiar to England and Wales, they are no doubt among your country’s priorities too; in fact they’re global as the population escalates towards a forecast 9.5bn by 2050. We will have much to share, much to discuss. Whilst we have a busy schedule, we will make time to. In fact that’s what IFAJ Congresses are all about; listening, learning, sharing, being challenged and returning home with fresh ideas; they also stimulate valuable networking and lasting new friendships. We trust this 2014 Post Congress tour is aspirational and ultimately, one to remember and really enjoy. Liz Snaith IFAJ2014 Post Congress chairman Director, Liz Snaith Consultants Ltd
Our Sponsors We are hugely indebted to our sponsors for their generous contribution towards IFAJ 2014 Post Congress – both monetary and in kind, and who have made it possible to stage this tour. Thank you.
Our Hosts A massive thank you to all our tour hosts. We appreciate their time and willingness to share with us their knowledge and skills. We have been inspired meeting them whilst they have given us an insight in to their strategies, how they are achieving success and to some of their plans going forward. We’re confident that they will inspire you too.
Helen Brothwell (chairman) BPEX KT communications manager
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Mike Bunney communications consultant
Clive Marlow marketing consultant
Tim Price NFU Mutual corporate communications executive 5 IFAJ Post Congress Tour Guide
TUESDAY 9th September
Pioneering organic systems and agro-forestry HRH The Prince of Wales’ Duchy Home Farm, Tetbury, Gloucestershire Speakers • Farm manager, David Wilson • Sustainable Food Trust founding director, Patrick Holden
The total countryside experience Cotswold Farm Park, Guiting Power, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire www.cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk
The Highgrove Estate was bought by the Duchy of Cornwall* in 1980, consisting then of three blocks of land, totalling 140ha immediately around the House. Since then, the estate has gradually expanded to the current in-hand
Speaker: Cotswold Farm Park manager, Kate Lord
Travel through the Cotswold countryside with its honey coloured limestone villages to Cotswold Farm Park owned by Adam Henson, one of Britain’s farming champions. Adam is helping to bridge the gap between farmers and consumers whilst creating a greater awareness of the agricultural sector fronting BBC’s rural flagship programme, Countryfile and other prime time slots. Adam was born on the farm which was developed by his father, Joe as the first commercial unit in the UK to protect some of our rare breeds of farm animals. We’ll be finding out how these cattle, sheep and pigs are nowadays used specifically for commercial purposes at the award winning Cotswold Farm Park – a diversification business which has developed to provide a total countryside experience for all ages. Cotswold Farm Park attracts more than 100,000 visitors each year, and forms part of the larger Henson and Andrews farm business with tenanted, joint venture and management service agreements taking in more than 1,215ha. Their entire farming operation is covered by a combination of environmental stewardship agreements, and conservation is a key element in the business’ farming policy. There’ll be an opportunity to find out more about how the partners run a modern and progressive business that has maintained a positive momentum through initiatives such as expansion, diversification and adding value to develop excellent examples of how modern farming can be managed in a sustainable and environmentally effective manner.
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Kate Lord and Adam Henson
• Farm park manager, Kate Lord studied Rural Enterprise and Land Management at Harper Adams University. She worked for the Buccleuch Group for five years, and during this time qualified as a Rural Chartered Surveyor whilst gaining experience in all aspects of rural property management, diversification, branding, marketing and events. Kate moved to Cotswold Farm Park in 2011 and has since implemented an extended opening season, a full time team of management staff and a program of infrastructure improvements to enhance the visitor experience. Kate recently completed the 18th Challenge of Rural Leadership, delivered by Duchy College and the Worshipful Company of Farmers.
Cotswold Farm Park’s rare breeds counter
total of 450ha, whilst over the last 13 years a further 325ha of share farmed land in five separate agreements have also been added bringing the total area farmed to over 770ha featuring dairy, beef, sheep and arable enterprises together with woodland. David Wilson was appointed manager in 1985, and shortly afterwards organic conversion commenced. The initial approach was cautious and gradual, however in 1990 His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales decided the whole farm should be converted and organic symbol status was achieved in 1996. Organic milk is marketed through the Organic Milk Suppliers Co-operative with 50% sold as liquid through Duchy Originals. Beef and lamb are sold through Fortnum and Masons, the Ritz, the Organic Livestock Co-operative Ltd and the Royal Household. Wheat and oats are used in the production of Duchy Originals biscuits. Malting Barley is marketed to Duchy Originals for Duchy Ale. Agronomic and environmental research has been carried out since 1986 with leading organisations including Elm Farm Organic Research Centre, Arable Research Centre, University WILDCRU and British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). The findings revealed the positive benefits of the organic production system in terms of low levels of nitrate leaching and high numbers of butterflies, birds and beneficial insects. Government’s three Research Councils (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Economic and Social Research Council, and the Natural Environment Research Council) conducted a recent three year study taking in all the results of the farm’s organic regime.
* The Duchy of Cornwall is the private estate which funds the public, charitable and private activities of The Prince of Wales and his family. The Duchy estate was created in 1337 and its primary function is to provide an income for the heir to the throne.
Patrick Holden CBE Patrick is founding director of the Sustainable Food Trust, established in 2011 with a mission of working internationally to accelerate the transition towards more sustainable food systems. The organisation has three key work strands increasing collaboration, influencing policy and research, and communications. Patrick established a community dairy farm near Lampeter in 1973, which is now the longest established organic dairy farm in Wales, producing cheese from an 85 cow Ayrshire herd. He founded British Organic Farmers, which subsequently merged with the Soil Association in 1995, after which he served as its director until 2010; during this time he became a much sought after speaker and campaigner on food issues. He is advisor to the Prince of Wales and Patron of the UK Biodynamic Agriculture Association.
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TUESDAY 9th September Showcasing local The Earl of Plymouth Estate, Ludlow, Shropshire www.ludlowfoodcentre.co.uk Speakers • Estate manager, Sarah Nightingale • Ludlow Food Centre managing director, Edward Berry • Ludlow Food Centre manager, Tom Hunt • Butcher, John Brereton and cheese maker, Dudley Martin
Ludlow is a small medieval market town on the borders of England and Wales that is internationally renowned for its locally sourced food and drink, restaurants, and traditional butchers and bakers shops. We dine at The Clive, and breakfast at one of its most newly established - Ludlow Food Centre which has already secured numerous major national awards, including Britain’s Best Food Hall 2014. Both The Clive and Ludlow Food Centre are diversification enterprises developed on the Earl of Plymouth’s 3,240ha estate which was initially purchased by Clive of India in the 18th century. The property has remained in the family for six generations. Lord Plymouth began to farm the estate in hand in 1950 and since then has expanded the unit to its current scale operating a mix 8 IFAJ Post Congress Tour Guide
of traditional enterprises including two dairy herds, beef, sheep and pigs. Passion for local is at the heart of the centre which is why it is committed to sourcing over 80% of the food it sells from Shropshire and the surrounding counties bringing a major boost for local farmers, food producers and artisans. Offering seasonal and handmade food is also a priority. In fact its entire supply of beef, lamb, and pork comes from the estate along with a selection of fruit and vegetables from Lady Windsor’s walled garden. The centre is unique in that it is designed not only to market food, but also to produce it. More than half the food it sells is made on the premises in eight kitchen units including dairy, butchery, bakery, and jam and pickle kitchen, which surround the food hall. They’re visible through glass windows allowing customers to see the artisan producers at work. They include award winning head butcher, John Brereton who works closely with the estate to select livestock when they are at their peak and has complete control over the preparation of the centre’s meat. The Food Centre employs more than 90 people, and staff are encouraged to pursue new ideas and create products that encapsulate fresh, local, and seasonal produce. We will enjoy some of this produce at The Clive where we’ll be joined for discussion to provide a true field to fork experience with some of the producers along with representatives from the estate who will discuss its rich heritage along with modern sustainable farming practices.
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WEDNESDAY 10th September Exploiting natural resources The Earl of Plymouth Estate, Ludlow, Shropshire Speakers • Estate director, Archer de Haan • Estate manager, Sarah Nightingale The Earl of Plymouth’s estate has recently completed a hydro development on the River Teme, one of the fastest flowing in England. Deemed as a technological and ecological win win, the system features a very low head site on a Site of Special Scientific Interest and an important salmon river. The result - 165kW output producing sufficient electricity for 122 average UK homes, plus a new co-located multi-species Larinier fish pass to encourage more fish to pass quickly upstream and spawn successfully.
Rebuilding natural capital The Pumlumon Project, Cambrian Mountains, Powys Speakers • Montgomery Wildlife Trust, Liz Reddy-Lewis and Clive Faulkner • Farmer case studies, Gareth Hughes and Siarl Owen The Wildlife Trusts in Wales along with other partners, have initiated an ambitious pioneering approach to large scale upland management. It combines a number of objectives linking biodiversity conservation, agriculture and food, forestry, flood and water quality management, tourism and local community sustainability, all of which are integrated into the ecosystem services. We are visiting the Pumlumon area of the Cambrian Mountains, the largest watershed in the country - the source of the main rivers Severn, Wye, and Rheidol. Drainage of peat bogs was used to improve livestock grazing however it resulted in significant loss of biodiversity, soil compaction and degradation of landscapes. The loss of peat has resulted in reduced water holding capacity and degradation of water quality. Agricultural returns are also declining leading to rural depopulation. The Pumlumon Project aims to reverse these trends and to build a case for a new agricultural economy - paying farmers directly for the production of ecosystem services. Instead of ‘compensating’ farmers for the loss in agricultural profits from applying environmental schemes, a value would be placed on the benefits from changes in farming practices to the improvements in ecosystem services – biodiversity, water quality, flood risk reduction and carbon capture. Resulting improvements in
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landscapes and wildlife variety have the potential to add to tourism and recreational business opportunities for local communities. Montgomery Wildlife Trust has been taking the lead role in piloting some of the work. Since 2008 re-wetting bogs is taking place on 163ha of both privately owned and Nature Reserve land. Initial wider scale results show that appropriate management of an area of 3,730ha can store over 2.5m tonnes of carbon and around 42m litres of water. Plans are to extend the concept over 40,000ha. A number of farmers have introduced cattle grazing to create a range of new habitats and new local meat marketing initiatives. Linking existing habitats is enabling plants and wildlife to move through the previously fragmented countryside. A major debate about the role of the uplands in the UK has been developing following recent reports and studies which have highlighted the continuing declines in biodiversity. The new CAP Reform programme increases the emphasis on conservation, but reduces further the overall support budget. These point towards a fundamental re-thinking on managing the uplands; the Pumlumon project is seeking to find some of the answers.
Sustainable intensification Y Ddol, Llanbadarn Fynydd, Llandrindod Wells, Powys Speakers • Haydn, David and Linda Jones • Germinal, Andrew Cook • Innovis, Dewi Jones • Grassmaster, Charlie Morgan David Jones farms Y Ddol, a progressive 600ha upland holding implementing some of the latest proven technology to help improve output from its sheep enterprise and subsequently counter the impact of CAP Reform. Y Ddol is very much a family business, involving David’s father Haydn, his wife Linda and sons, Oliver and Charles, whilst daughter, Frances has recently established a farmhouse based catering business. The family has a clearly defined target for their 2,500 ewe breeding flock which adheres to a traditional hill farming strategy breeding both replacements and rearing lambs for finishing on land running between 1,150’ and 1,550’. Quite simply the Jones are focused on exploiting their natural resources to make more from less. Their goal is to maximise the number of lambs born and their growth rate to achieve 17kg to 19kg target deadweight in the least possible time on a unit with a very short grass growing period and ultimately improve current overall production by up to 20%. They are finding a solution in introducing the latest development in forage varieties bred and developed by Germinal combined with a flock development programme featuring Innovis performance recorded genetics. This season they test drove the two inputs together – the latest grass and sheep genetics. The on-farm trial at Y Ddol demonstrated that rotationally grazed grass not only meets the complete nutritional needs of a prolific ewe and her lambs but when combined with high performance
genetics can improve total lamb liveweight per hectare by the targeted 20% and in turn achieve improved margins. Measuring and monitoring the entire flock, from new born lambs to aged ewes, also features among the Jones priorities. Whilst they say recording is a challenge, it’s a necessary job and one which they regard as time well invested in order to enable more informed decisions within the flock. EID has helped facilitate the process. Introducing pioneering technology to Y Ddol has been par for the course over the last 60 years since Haydn Jones, a blacksmith’s son, secured the then 40ha unit and rolled out a two pronged approach – expansion coupled with development. While he took every opportunity going to acquire land, together with accompanying risks, a little luck had a role to play, along with huge attention to detail and an open mind. You will find that same focus continuing today.
Haydn, David, Oliver, Charles, Linda and Frances Jones
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THURSDAY 11th September The Shakespeare experience Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire www.shakespeare.org.uk Shakespeare, the Bard 2014 is the 450th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s birth at Stratford upon Avon. His father, John was a glove maker and wool merchant and his mother, Mary Arden, the daughter of a landowner from nearby Wilmcote. Shakespeare was probably educated at King Edward VI Grammar School in Stratford. The next documented event in Shakespeare’s life is his marriage at the age of 18 to Anne Hathaway, a local farmer’s daughter. His name reappears again, in a London pamphlet, having made his way to the city, without his family and now working in the theatre; in 1592 he was described as an ‘upstart crow’. As well as belonging to its pool of actors and playwrights, Shakespeare became one of the managing partners of the Lord Chamberlain's Company, renamed the King's Company when James succeeded to the throne. The company acquired interests in two theatres - the Globe and the Blackfriars. In the early 1590’s, Shakespeare’s first poems, Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece were published, followed by his first plays in 1594, after which he produced roughly two per year until around 1611. His earlier plays were mainly histories and comedies such as Henry VI, Titus Andronicus, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice and Richard II, as well as the tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. By the last years of Elizabeth I's reign, Shakespeare was well established as a famous poet and playwright and he was called upon to perform several of his plays before the Queen at court. In 1598 the author Francis Meres described Shakespeare as England’s greatest writer in comedy and tragedy.
Mary Arden’s Farm, Stratford upon Avon Speakers • Rural historian, Dr Simon McGrory • Farm manager, Joe Moore England looked markedly different in Shakespeare’s time. The countryside was largely unenclosed and lacked the familiar hedges and stone walls which now characterise our landscapes. Much of the land was farmed on the medieval system. Land held in common by villagers was divided in to innumerable strips which are still visible at Mary Arden’s 9ha farm. During that period, the feudal system was beginning to break up. Many farms were bought by yeomen - commoners who cultivated their own land, they enclosed their property and improved its use. More secure control of the land allowed the owner to make innovations that improved yields. Many of these enclosures were accomplished by acts of Parliament in the 16th and 17th centuries, and so the British Agricultural Revolution became apparent with an unprecedented increase in agricultural production in England due to increases in labour and land productivity. The more productive enclosed farms led to fewer farmers being required to work the same land, leaving many villagers without land and grazing rights. By 1750, agricultural output grew faster than the population. The increase in food supply allowed England’s population to exceed 5.5 million for the first time. Mary Arden’s Farm has been developed as an education and tourist centre. It provides an opportunity to find out how our farming systems have evolved, as well as stepping back in time for all the sights, smells and sounds of a real Tudor farm and exploring the house where Shakespeare's mother grew up.
Shakespeare Birthplace www.shakespeare.org.uk This is the house where the Shakespeare story began – where William was born, grew up and spent the first five years of married life with his wife, Anne Hathaway. Birthplace is not only a house to discover the world that shaped the man but also one in which to follow in the footsteps of visiting writers such as Charles Dickens, John Keats, Walter Scott and Thomas Hardy. Discover more about the Shakespeare family at New House, Nash's House, Hall's Croft, homes to his children and other relatives. Royal Shakespeare Theatre www.rsc.org.uk Opened in 1932 on the river bank site adjacent to the original Shakespeare Memorial Theatre established in 1879 and destroyed by fire in1926, the building was designed by Elisabeth Scott and dedicated to William Shakespeare. The theatre became the first important work in England designed by a female architect. Now owned and managed by the Royal Shakespeare Company, it was renamed Royal Shakespeare Theatre in 1961 and features a 1,040+ seat thrust stage.
Shakespeare spent the last five years of his life in New Place, Stratford. He died in 1616 at the age of 52 and was buried in Holy Trinity Church, Stratford. He left his property to the male heirs of his eldest daughter, Susanna. He also bequeathed his 'second-best bed' to his wife. It is not known what significance this gesture had, although the couple had lived primarily apart for 20 years of their marriage.
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FRIDAY 12th September
Principal Sponsor
The way forward Stoneleigh Park, Kenilworth, meeting with industry influencers. www.nfu.org.uk
www.ahdb.org.uk
The National Farmers Union promotes British farming to the general public and represents the interest of its 55,000 British farmers and growers. Its brief ranges from explaining why it is crucial for shoppers to buy British produce to campaigning for a fair deal in Europe. Key topics for the organisation include tackling bovine TB, Common Agricultural Policy and dealing with climate change and severe weather. In the short term, NFU communications are dependent on the use of traditional media - both internally and externally, to convey their messages to large national audiences, whilst digital media, video and social media are also being embraced. Meurig Raymond MBE Meurig farms1,380ha in a family partnership in Pembrokeshire, south west Wales. The unit features combinable crops, potatoes, dairy, beef and sheep enterprises. He has held office with the NFU for 35 years, before being elected president in 2014.Whilst the industry’s technical achievements over the past few years have been phenomenal, he believes the next task is to convince policy makers, retailers, consumers and society of the importance of food production, to back British farming, and finally, to acknowledge that farmers can help to grow the rural economy.
The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board is a statutory levy board funded by farmers, growers and others in the supply chain with the core role of helping UK agriculture to be more competitive. It undertakes research and development and farm-level knowledge transfer and exchange activity. It also provides essential market information to improve supply chain transparency, delivers market promotion activities to help stimulate demand and also works to maintain and develop export markets. AHDB supports meat and livestock - cattle, sheep and pigs in England; horticulture, milk and potatoes in Great Britain; and cereal and oilseeds in the UK. Its remit covers 75% of total UK agricultural output. Peter Kendall Peter is a fifth generation arable farmer from Bedfordshire who operates in a family partnership a specialist arable unit that undertakes contract farming for a number of local farmers, cropping in total 2,300ha. President of the National Farmers Union for eight years, his overriding passion has been to change the image of farming from a problematic old fashioned industry of the past, to one that is innovative, exciting and central to the big global challenges. Peter was appointed AHDB chairman in April 2014.
GEA Farm Technologies (UK)
GEA Farm Technologies is among the global market leading suppliers of dairy systems. The company prides itself on innovation and technological excellence through its 22 international production sites and nine individual R&D locations all of which are focused on output contributing to farmer profitability through improved cow and labour productivity, with efficient and sustainable use of resources.
Key Sponsors Ayrshire Cattle Society, dedicated to keeping the Ayrshire breed of cattle at the forefront of modern dairying.
Innovis is leading sheep genetic progress by using scientifically proven animal breeding methods to meet with modern commercial producers’ requirements and demands.
Massey Ferguson, a brand at the forefront of international tractor manufacturing. The company has provided support for two complementary places to BGAJ U35 membership.
Organic Milk Suppliers Cooperative (OMSCo), the largest and longest established UK organic milk supplier; farmer-owned and farmer-run, with 200 members producing over two thirds of the UK's organic milk.
Supporters In Kind
www.westfalia.com/uk/en
Speaker: GEA Farm Technologies (UK) commercial manager, David Wenner “Some of the most efficient dairy producers in the world farm in the UK; they are embracing market challenges and adopting new technologies. As a country renowned for its dairy farmers’ readiness for being early adopters of technical innovation we would like to share our thoughts, ideas and vision of the future. “Dairy technologies are developing at great speed and operating in a ‘flat world’ they are available across the globe. However their first use will be where farm size, dairy infra-structure, economy, finance and producer requirements converge to make real installations a working reality. The UK has such market conditions. GEA Farm Technologies is looking forward to meeting IFAJ Post Congress delegates, and the opportunity to provide you with an update on pipeline developments and how they are scheduled to impact on taking forward the sector.” 14 IFAJ Post Congress Tour Guide
The Post Congress Guide has been supported by the Beef Shorthorn Society. Meeting demand for a modern functional suckler cow.
The IFAJ would like to thank Agri Business Communications for their assistance in the design and production of this tour guide. 15 IFAJ Post Congress Tour Guide
Some Welsh facts and figures Welcome to Wales 9.46m sheep and lambs
£229m annual sheep output
Welsh Lamb was awarded PGI status in 2003 to protect its provenance
Three sheep and lambs for every person
6,300 sheep involved in the UK’s first genomics research programme led by Innovis at Aberystwyth
One third of lambs are exported
Only 5% of lamb produced in Wales is consumed in Wales
8,000 rams, comprising 35 different breeds sold at the National Sheep Association’s autumn sales in Builth Wells
Ru gb yU
3.06m people over 20,779km sq
The Welsh flag incorporates the red dragon of Cadwaladr, and the green and white Tudor colours
nio ni st he na tio na ls po rt Wales has its own devolved government
Snowdon is the highest mountain at 1,085 metres, and with the highest annual rainfall, 3,000mm
The Red Kite has returned from the brink of extinction in the last 50 years to over 400 breeding pairs
The stock Welsh surnames is very small
Jones, Williams, Davies, Evans and Thomas
Dylan Thomas, one of Wales most renowned poets disliked Welsh nationalism 16 IFAJ Post Congress Tour Guide
The leek is a national emblem and the daffodil the national flower
are all found in the top ten surnames recorded in England and Wales
The land of song...... Wales has a strong musical heritage and a reputation as the land of song, in fact singing is part of the Welsh psyche and comes in every format and manner you wish - choirs, choral, sung poetry - penillion in duets, trios or individuals, and plygain – carol singing. The harp, telyn deires, is Wales’ very own national instrument. Typically, the Welsh harp is distinguished by its three rows of strings instead of the more common single row. The triple harp first originated in Italy, as the baroque before arriving in Britian in the 17th century. In 1629, the French harpist Jean le Flelle was appointed ‘musician for the harp’ at the King's court. Flelle played the Italian triple harp with gut strings. The traditional continues today, the HRH Prince of Wales has appointed his own harpist. The triple harp was quickly adopted by the Welsh harpers living in London during the 17th century. Since then, its popularity has ebbed and flowed over the decades. Today, the triple harp is played by some of Wales’ leading exponents including Gwenan Gibbard, who will be performing at our Welshfest.
Gwenan Gibbard Gwenan, a harpist and singer from the Llyn Peninsula in north west Wales, stands at the forefront of today’s thriving Welsh traditional
music scene. Having graduated in music from the University of Wales Bangor, and gaining a masters degree in performance and research in the field of Welsh music, she furthered her studies at the Royal Academy of Music, London. She has won many harp and singing awards at the premier event - the National Eisteddfod of Wales and has performed at several festivals, at home and overseas. Food Wales is traditionally an agrarian country and its simple food reflects this heritage with leeks, potatoes and sheep meat. Baking is also a large part of the country's culinary culture for example Bara Brith, a fruitcake was intended to keep for many days and served as a workman's tea. The Welsh language Wales has a population of just over three million, each and every one speaks English, however the Welsh language is thriving. In fact it’s spoken by over 0.5m people, whilst local council and the Welsh Government use Welsh as an official language, and it’s a compulsory subject for all school pupils. Welsh is a Celtic language that is closely related to Cornish and Breton, and is one of Europe’s oldest living languages; the Welsh which you’ll hear spoken this week is directly descended from the language of the sixth century. Called Cymraeg or yr iaith Gymraeg, the language has an entirely regular and phonetic spelling. While the place names may look complicated, apparently once you know the rules, then you can learn to read and pronounce Welsh fairly easily. Some sounds and letters that exist in Welsh but not in English, for example ‘ll’. Ll is a voiceless 'l,' and is made by placing the tongue on the top of the top gum, and blowing. Use 'll' as in llyn, which means lake. Other single letters in the Welsh alphabet are dd, ff, ng, ph, rh, and th.
Have a go… "Croeso i Gymru" (Kroy-sore ee Gum-ree) - Welcome to Wales "Dewch i mewn" (Dew-ch ee mewn) - Come in "Bore da" (Bor-eh dah) - Good morning "Nia ydw i" (Nee-ah uh-do ee) - I am Nia "Sut ydych chi heddiw?" (Sit ud-uch ee heth-ew) - How are you today? "Da iawn diolch" (Dah yoww-n dee-olch) - Very well thank you "Lechyd da!" (Yekh-id dah) Cheers! Good health “Da boch chi” (Da bo-khi) – Good bye 17 IFAJ Post Congress Tour Guide
e r i h s p o r h S
Some facts and figures from the English counties we will be visiting Shropshire Sheep Breeders' Association, the oldest flock book society in the United Kingdom
IFAJ 2014 Post Congress delegates
Müller Wiseman processes 45,000 tonnes of butter annually at its new £17m plant, the UK’s largest
Harper Adams University, a leader for rural studies and among the UK’s top 10 higher education establishments
Markket Market Draytton Drayton
e r i h s r e t s e c u o l G
Agriculture takes up 86% of the country land area; over 33% is arable.
Wem We m
Shr ewsbu sburry Shrewsbury
D orringt n on Dorrington Much Wenlock Wenlock enl
Chur ch Church Str etton Stretton
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Abel Charles
Great Britain
Editor
Farmers Club Journal
abelcomms@googlemail.com
Andreasen Gudrun
Denmark
Freelance journalist
Gudrun.andreasen@gmail.com
Bellocchi Lisa
Italy
Freelance and lecturer
Bologna University
lisa.bellocchi@gmail.com
* Bond Nick
Great Britain
Director
Rural Press and PR Services
nicholas.bond@farming.me.uk
Collie Gordon
Australia
Managing director
Agri-Prose
gordon@agriprose.com.au
Collie Susan
Australia
Agri-Prose
susan@agriprose.com.au
Durkin Joel
Great Britain
Deputy business editor
Farmers Guardian
joel.durkin@farmersguardian.com
Fone Nick
Great Britain
Freelance
Farmers Weekly
nick@nickfonemedia.co.uk
Hough Cassandra
Australia
Rural reporter
Australian Broadcast Corporation cassiejhough@gmail.com
Hinze Günther
Denmark
Magowan Rodeny
N. Ireland
Nieder Helmut
River Severn 354kms, the UK’s longest river
W h chur hit c urch Whitchurch
Ellesmer e Ellesmere
Name
Br idgnor no ortth Bridgnorth
Cr aven Ar ms Arms Craven
LLudlow udlo dlow
Double Gloucester cheese rolling, a six centuries old bank holiday tradition
Tewksbury
Bishop’s Cleeve
Winchcombe
Cheltenham Bourton-on-the-Water
Stroud
VDAJ
hicomm@web.de
Farming Life and Farm Week
rodney@rodneymagowan.co.uk
Germany
Büro für Information und Kommunikation
h.nieder@t-online.de
Nieder Christel
Germany
Büro für Information und Kommunikation
chnieder@web.de
Poole Laura
Australia
Executive producer
Australian Broadcast Corporation
Poole.Laura@abc.net.au
Queenborough Rachel
Great Britain
Director
Freelance / Rqb
rachel@rqb.ltd.uk
Radford Leigh
Australia
ABC Rural national editor
Australian Broadcast Corporation
radford.leigh@abc.net.au
Radford Tracey
Australia
Schmid Colette
Switzerland
Schmidt Gerhard
Germany
Schmidt Heidi
Germany
Schulz-Willecke Renate
Freelance
Nailsworth
Chepstow
Royal Agricultural University, the first agricultural college in the English speaking world
224,262ha of land is farmed; 60% is managed as grassland - that’s 10.8% more than the national average of 49.2% grassland
Gloucester Old Spots, white porkers that must have a minimum of one distinct black spot.
e r i h s k c i w War
Nuneaton
The home of the rugby football invented by William Web Ellis at Rugby school
Ira93059@bigpond.net.au Federal Office for Agriculture
colette.schmid@sunrise.ch
International consulting
Freelance
imsgschmidt@hotmail.com
Freelance
Freelance
imsgschmidt@hotmail.com
Germany
VDAJ
dghinze@web.de
Schwerdtfeger Rolf
Germany
VDAJ / ACT
r.schwerdtfeger@actgmbh.de
Sekine Yuko
Japan
Journalist
Japan Food Association
yuko-s@s4.dion.ne.jp
* Snaith Liz
Great Britain
Director
Liz Snaith Consultants
liz@lizsnaithconsultants.com
Van Outryve Jacques
Belgium
Deputy editor
Boer and Tunider
jacques.van.outryve@boerenbond.be
Wennström Helena
Sweden
Journalist
LRF Media
helena.wennstrom@atl.nu
Coventry Rugby Kenilworth
Leamington Spa
Stratford -upon-Avon
Stoneleigh Park, the hub of English agriculture
18 IFAJ Post Congress Tour Guide
* Post congress committee members 19 IFAJ Post Congress Tour Guide